Notes / Commercial Description:
"a Barley Wine made in the West Coast style. Big malt and hops make this copper colored ale one of our most popular products. Produced in September and October and released in November, this Beer will improve for years to come. Alcohol: 11.5% by volume. IBU's 70"

I can see about an inch of crap at the bottom of the bottle. What the hell is going on here? I crack it open and there is an accumulation of what looks like ear wax all over the mouth of the bottle. I'm not feeling to good about this right now. I carefully pour around the ear wax and manage to only get 2 floaties into my glass. Soft pour brings about no head and few bubbles. The fluid is actually a very nice shade of bronze.

M: I saw some reviewers saying their bottle had low carbonation, but mine was a total dud. Almost literally 0 carbonation. I'm usually not one to complain about this type of issue. I even enjoy the low levels of carbonation in Port Brewing/Lost Abbey's barrel aged offerings, but this was undrinkable. Maybe it was just a problem with my bottle or the particular batch, but I couldn't finish it.

D: This beer had a lot of promise based on smell and taste, but the carbonation issue ruined the beer for me.

I really hate to bash what many consider a good beer, but it was completely unenjoyable for me. And at $6 a bottle it makes me a little angry.

I poured this into a large wine glass and wondered. No bubbles? I swirled it and got a few large bubbles. A cloudy brown body.

The Nose had hints of flower blossom at first then not much.

Taste was sweet and some hops but not much else. It does taste like some kind of fruit juice with a hops after taste.

I am wondering if this is just the batch. The mouthfeel was absolutely flat. Not very warming but the flatness made this harder to find appealing. This had to be batch specific because another person said the same thing, then older reviews speak of a big head and pine aromas. Not this one. Too bad, I don't go out west and won't be able to try another one.

Pours a hazy mahogany brown; The head is very slow and small, so I begin to force-pour, which is my downfall. The head suddenly erupts. Look out!

After getting things stabilized in my Stone Old Guardian glass, I'm left with a two-cookie-thick yellowish head atop a hazy, dark brown body. The head leaves behind a sticky inch-thick ring that completely covers, then trails off in vertical lines down the side of the glass.

Alcohol, tree sap, slight cardboard earthiness - but none of this is really bad, mind you. These are merely notes I pick out amidst the burnt caramel malts and the explosive hops (which seem to need some time to mellow).

Distinctive grassy, grilled vegetable flavor, bready and slightly caramelly malts - blended all together with a bigass wallop of piney hops, more, perhaps even than Bigfoot '06. I like trying barleywines when fresh because the hops are still present - but I think this will be a bit better when mellowed.

The mouthfeel is very, very, very sticky. It's like someone took some honey and mixed it with water, so that you could drink it - but not very easily. I find this takes a very long time to drink not because the alcohol is overpowering or anything - it's definitely not - but because the mouth is so sticky that after you take a sip, it's easy to sit there for ten minutes without wanting to take another sip. You can still taste the last sip, so why go back for more?

Final thoughts - a tricky barleywine. It's good, but might be better later.

Bottle courtesy of gregg, thanks! 2010 bottle is a bit of a gusher, luckily the darkness snifter was ready and i didnt lose too much. Hopefully this one isnt infected. Color is a nasty looking cloudy brown with lots of sediment floating around and a 3 finger thick light tan head that lingers. Smell is a good balance of sugary malt and alcohol, some simcoe hop bitterness, slightly metallic astringent quality, the amarillo is totally overpowered. Taste is very sweet up front, lots of sweet cherries and dark fruits, caramel malt, some fruity hops, slightly piney, some alcohol. Mouthfeel is a bit light for a barleywine with a medium carbonation - way off for the style, the alcohol seems to have thinned it out. Warm alcohol finish. Not a very drinkable barleywine, this one definitley needs a little time on the shelf.

A: Poured CLEAR (yes I said CLEAR) bubbles with no head formation at all. This one is looking quite rough. There's a murky toffee/carmel body that looks a bit redeeming, but the lack of head has me concerned. Obviously there's no lacing to speak of. This reminds me of so many "brandy barrel aged" offerings I've had. However, I don't think this thing has ever seen a barrel.

S: For all of you that live near the border of mexico, this thing smells exactly like Baby lucas. Tamarind and lime salts with some deliciously forward mexican spices. Ancho chile power, coriander, and some cumin. This thing has quite a stellar nose. What in the world could this taste like? Could this possibly forgive the lack of head?

T: This thing gave me mad shivers. This is alcohol infused tamarind tea. Super sweet lime salts and tamarind make for the funkiest flat mexican cocktail this side of tijuana. I mean really Hotd, this is just missing the flavor of tequila. Meant to age for years? I think this barley wine should be consumed fresh. Absolutely no hop presence to speak of whatsoever. This is expected considering the age, but this tastes so incomplete. This is like diet crystal mole; the carmel color is but a mind game.

M: So flat it hurts my skull. Very watery iced tea with not even the slightest pinch of carbonation. Fresh hops and lively carbonation would greatly improve the experience of this beer. I am left wanting in the mouth, I have to will myself to the next sip.

O: Either the 2009 batch was no good, or this is too long for this beer. This had without a doubt the weirdest pour I have ever seen. Clear bubbles? what the hell. I thought I poured some bubble bath into my nonic. This thing looked like you could blow bubbles with it. The smell and taste was so interesting, that I feel cheated. This beer was swiss cheese; there were some holes that I can't neglect. This is on my most wanted to retry list -- and I need a fresh sample. The flavor was far too compelling to ignore, don't bother with the 2009. Oh my god I will not forget this nose.

Ive had various vintages of this beer and if the others bottle of this years vintage are like this bottle then this must be the weakest of all. I was troubled when no lacing appeared after I poured the scarlet and caramel bodied brew into my pint glass. No head and no lacing. As the 7337 kiddies say these days WTF?

The ball gets rolling a bit with the nose. The hops leap out first with pine leading the charge. Bitter grapefruit brings up the rear with buttery not-too-sweet caramel hand in hand. The finish reminds for some reason of rose petals and rich honey. Its very nice. Though this tastes great I find the thin mouthfeel distracting. No lie, this beer has the consistency of water. Now Im a water drinker myself. I dont drink any fruity or sugary drinks to quench my thirst, Im a water guy. When I opt for a beer, I want a mouthfeel that reflects that. Not only does this fail but it flunks with flying colors.

Id consider buying this again just to see if this bottle was a fluke. It tastes very good but the thin mouthfeel just kills it. A shame. I rated the drinkability low because of the mouthfeel. I considered making this a drain pour with every sip.

A: Pours a murky brown with no head. If I hadn't poured it, I'd have thought someone handed me a glass of farm made apple cider. It's hazy and there's no penetration even when held directly up to a light. When tilting the glass, the beer leaves streaks of carbonation on the side.

S: Smells of alcohol, toffee and apple skins, although the latter could be my mind playing tricks on me.

M: Thick. Yet another comparison to apple cider.

T: Alcohol up front and a slight burn on the finish. I'm getting a lot of malt, almost a bit salty.

O. In reading the other reviews on here, it appears that about 1 in every 10 has the same experience I did. Not sure if this is due to bottle storage - I drank mine just a few days after delivery - or if I just drank this bottle too soon, but it's definitely one of the stranger beers I've ever had. I've got about half a bottle left, and I can't decide if I'll finish it.

2006 release, acquired from Viggo courtesy of Birthday Club 2, so a big Thank You goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light brown color, with no head and no lacing which can happen with this type of beer when it's got some age one it.

S: The aroma is of brown sugar, caramel, bourbon, alcohol and a decent amount of hops.

T: The taste is sweet up front with flavors of caramel and brown sugar, there's a strong alcohol burn that follows along with a toned-down but complimentary hops presence. The malt character is very hearty. The after-taste is sweet.

D: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, strong kick, decent representation of style, I've certainly had better barleywines, but I have a strong feeling that this beer would be much better fresh.

Pours with a five-finger+, bubbly light tan head that explodes out of the bottle, fades slowly and leaves a good lace. Cloudy amber color with chunky bits at the bottom. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Nose is raisiny. Starts on the sweet side but some bitterness comes in and lingers. There are better barley wines like Dogfish Head's Old School. $4.25 for a 12oz bottle from Vintage Cellar Blacksburg, VA.

A: Oh jesus. An extremely small head after an aggressive pour that was composed of very clear bubbles and died off almost instantly. Looks almost as flat as water.

S: When I opened the bottle I felt giddy it smelled so good. When I poured it out and sniffed I cringed a little. Definitely still some hotness, in HotD character tons of spice, very much holiday spice with cider spices sticking out to me, some honey and peach pit in the nose too. The flatness really comes out in the smell as almost all of the smells have a waterlogged sense to them.

T: A large variety of holiday spices that come out big in the mouth with peach, mango, apricot and a little chile coming out too. These flavors are really quite good and there's a very nice interplay of sweetness and spice, but the mouthfeel really makes it almost unbearable. Much less heat in the mouth than I expected from the nose but still detectable.

M: Water. Or thin hard alcohol. The first 1.0 I have given, ever.

O: I searched for comments on the body/appearance after I opened this and noticed that almost all of the 2009 bottles talked of flatness whereas the 2010 talked of plenty of carbonation. This beer is potentially fantastic with plenty of carbonation. Compared to a 2009 bottle I'd rather have this as fresh and carbonated as possible. Take my review with a grain of salt considering my mouthfeel/appearance experience in contrast with others. Smell and taste were good, everything else made the smell and taste not worth it.

I didn't feel like re-writing a full review of the 2011 vintage, so I just changed the scores and amended a rolling update at the end of the review.

~~~

Chilled 2010 vintage bottle into a glass. Gold cap, if that matters.

A: Despite letting it settle for over a week and putting it in the fridge for a day, a moderate pour produces copious head that threatens to overflow my 22oz snifter. Retention is great; the beer collapses conically, leaving a volcano-like structure of suds in the middle, and sticky lace down the sides. Hard to beat, though the overcarbonation is actually a downside. The body is a reddish-amber color.

T: The malts dominate the taste at first, with sugar cookie, apricot, and pears blending on the tongue. I also detected honey and a light floral flavor. There are citrus hops for sure, in the fruit varieties noted in the aroma. A slight touch of grassiness. The aftertaste is malty, producing a grain-honey flavor. Doggie Claws is on the sweet side when young, though I know from drinking past vintages that it dries up with age.

D: I was impressed with this one, but I still feel that Fred from the Wood as well as Adam and its derivatives are much better and richer in flavor. I'm content buying two bottles a season (one to drink, one to age).

---

A rolling vintage update from a vertical consumed in Feb 2012.

2011: Drank fresh (a couple of months old). Properly carbed, no gushing. The aroma isn't as vibrant as past vintages have been fresh. The dominant aromas are sugar cookie and grain, with a mild floral note. The taste is an unrefined sweetness with an undercurrent of bitter hops. It lacks nuance while the liquid is on the palate, but the exhalation brings out flavors of peach, jasmine, and honey. The finish is completely unsatisfying; weak and watery. (3.35)

2010: Drank with 1 year on it. Slightly overcarbed, though not a gusher. About a third of the snifter fills with beige foam that sticks around. Clear caramel-amber body. Even when I crack the cap slightly, an overwhelming aroma of jasmine, honey, grapefruit, pineapple, and tangelo reach my nostrils. These great aromatics translate well to the flavor, which is incredibly juicy. While sweet on the open, it finishes in balance with a lightly oily aftertaste and mild bitterness. There are hints of sherry oxidation. This is aging very well, and it is quite a bit better than the 2011. (4.2)

2009: 2 years old, blue cap. I remember these were the "flat" half of the batch. This one is lightly carbed now, so maybe the yeast went to work. This year, like the 2010, has a floral, honey-backed aroma. Its oxidation is evident in moderate sherry character. Some of the citrus hops are fading in nose and taste, with an accompanying stale hop flavor. I'm sure the batches vary, so it's not a direct comparison, but I don't like this as much as the 2010. (3.8)

2008: 3 years old. This looks more ruby than the other batches; it definitely borders on maroon. Low carbonation, and the bubbles vanish into nothing (not even a collar). It's mildly floral, with stronger citrus, but the hops are definitely fading out. Sherry oxidation is quite strong. I can see the trend here, despite the batch variation. The stale hop flavors I picked up in the 2009 have died down. The beer has a mild sugar burn in the finish. (3.5)

2002: 9 years old. Thanks to writerLJBerg for this one. Pours a maroon body with a pinky finger of large-bubbled beige head. An aroma of oxidized sherry fills the area as I crack the cap. It persists in the glass; this is dominated by a smell of oxidation and stale hops, with little else. The aromatic citrus hops have faded out; there are no floral notes. The taste reveals mostly sherry oxidation with a stale, slightly sour grain flavor in the finish and mild biterness. It's interesting, but not very appealing. I think J.W. Lees is a far better showcase for age than Doggie Claws. (2.8)

Result: in the future, I'm not aging this longer than 1 year. I don't like where it goes.

2009 was a gusher. (Just wasn't my night for HotD seasonal barleywines.) Lost about 1/3 of the beer on the kitchen table and floor.

the remaining 2009 I ended up drinking was chunky because of the agitation from the explosion mixing in the sediment. Honey sweet pine on the nose, tastes followed. Thick and sweet. Not all that complex, actually, but still enjoyable. Wasn't as impressed as I was expecting. Pretty straightforward smells and tastes.

I don't know what to think about HotD. I've had a good Fred, flat Adam, flat DClaws, and gushing DClaws. Is this normal?

A: Pours a half finger head of nice fair cream, good thickness, and decent retention (considering the high ABV anyway). Colour is an extremely dark copper; nontransparent and solid. No yeast particles are visible. Appears adequately carbonated. I'm looking forward to it, though I do note that it seems a bit dark for a barleywine.

Sm: Strangely hoppy - unexpected for a barleywine. Biscuity bread-like notes. Maybe some toasted malt and/or raisin. Dark honey is also present, particularly on the finish - which is lovely. I'd say the honey is dominant, and next in line hops. A moderate strength aroma, but a subtle and intricate one that makes me excited to taste it. 4.0-4.5

T: Nectary. The delightful honey foundation is near-perfect in its subtlety, not intruding on the delicate balance, and not too bright and open; clearly they didn't just add honey the way you might in a honey blonde. It's a dark honey, and reading the label and discovering it's wild flower honey doesn't surprise me. An excellent and unique choice.

The hops are nearly perfectly balanced, giving the open a very interesting character that doesn't at all clash with the balance in a structural or flavour-wise sense.

Light candied sugar manifests mostly on the climax, giving it a bit of body but also thinning the third act a bit. It's not a favorful tradeoff all around; I think they could do with reducing the quantity of candied sugar used a bit.

No yeast comes through, nor does any alcohol - an impressive feat considering the hefty ABV.

It does seem hoppy for a barleywine, but the honey does well to hide the bitterness.

The only troublesome bit is the third act, which has a strange bitter feel to it and is thinner than the first two. It's a minor qualm, but throws the structural balance off to a degree.

It could do with more complexity in its flavours, but what's there is nice and I imagine she'd age nicely. I like it, though for the style it's a bit strange.

Mf: Smooth and wet, but a touch thick. It lumps on the climax, which doesn't bother me - though the thinness of the third act afterwards is (as aforementioned) a problem. It could do with more thickness and coarseness all around. Moreover, the finish is too slick and zips right by.

Dr: Quite drinkable for its hefty ABV, and uniquely honey-centric for the style. I like that they're experimenting, but I think the hop content should be reduced, the honey quantity increased, and the crystal malts omitted.

This one would likely age well, in part because the hop flavour would die down. There doesn't seem to be much yeast in the bottle, so I don't know that the ABV would creep.

No head (sigh), pale color, beautiful, beautiful sticky lacing. Smells like HOTD. I mean, seriously.
More precisely, this one has the prune/sweet smell of an English-style but light - and then there's some grassy/citrus thing going on that hints (hopefully!) at a more 'merican style.
And then you taste it. Weird. Let me think about this for a bit. Whoa. Weird. Well, hey, I'm not going to tell you they used the same yeast as the last two I drank! The citrus is there but not like it is in most citrus hoppy beers. Let's see... It's mainly back of the mouth. The aftertaste is big and citrus - but it's not the kind that sneaks up on you and makes your mouth water, it's subtler and sweeter. Not bitter. Definitely hoppy. Not syrupy sweet but definitely sweet. Well, heck. I guess I'm stumped! Can I just back out of this now??? I don't know how to score this! I suppose that's what they're trying to achieve... That back of the mouth thing... It's like some foreign soda pop I've had, you know? Orangina? Doesn't sound right. Maybe the red Orangina - it's a little bitter, sweet, orangy. Blood oranges. The whole back of the mouth is blood oranges. Wacky. Well, for the level of sweetness here I need more something to balance it out. Usually that is bitterness so I guess, well, I'd like more bitterness. Or, as usual, maybe up the body a touch and lower the hops and call it English. As it is, it seems caught between styles.
I appreciate the efforts they are going to and acknowledge that they're doing things in the right way - experiment, brew what you want to brew, keep it low key, whatever - but so far I'm not a fan of their beers. When I read the style on the bottle I have certain expectations and this doesn't meet them. (I hope that I explained that well enough in the review but if not please call me on it and I'll make a little more effort.)

Edit: whoa. Talk about different. I just poured out the last few inches of the bottle and the color is significantly darker. The head was higher/normal (but gone in 20 seconds). The flavor is probably a little different, too. More bitter (makes sense to me). Still blood oranges/bitter oranges. And a really fleeting off flavor (less than 1/2 second) right before the full sweet/bitter orange hits. Whoa.

A little disappointed in this one. Sampled during a tasting that featured several outstanding Russian Imperial Stouts, so perhaps I was a bit jaded by the time this one came to my glass, but overall I found it a bit lacking for a barleywine. A strong ale, perhaps, but not enough horsepower or depth (despite the abv) to be interesting in this category.

Have to admit I was really disappointed in this one as it came highly recommended. It just seemed to be really flat to me. Almost to the point where I am wondering if I got a skunked bottle. I don't think so though. I realize this beer has a lot of fans so I will simply say it is not for me

T: Very sweet upfront, but finishing with a dry bitterness. Definite caramel, some butterscotch. There's a slightly off putting plum presence. Starts to get a pinesol flavor from what I'm guessing is old hops (3.5)

M: Medium bodied. Lighter carbonation. Smooth finish (3)

D: This beer is drinkable, but seems like it's going through a weird phase. I don't mind it, but not something I'd seek out again... at least not right now (3.5)

A- Pours a murky brown toilet sludge color. Barely any carbonation. Lots of hops and yeast in the glass. This is the worst part of this beer. It was like opening up a homebrew with a lot of trub in it.

S- Luckily, it all goes uphill from here. The smell is all honey and hops. I knew everything was going to be ok, after taking a whiff of this brew.

T- Not as complex as I usually expect from a barley wine. The hops are there, that's for sure, but the malt and honey takes centerstage. very sweet, almost cloying. Slightly vinous, a little rummy. Hides it's alcohol incredibly well. It's not bad.

M- A little syrupy, no bubbles. hop particles in your mouth.

D- This was decent. I can't imagine buying another one, especially at $6 a 12 oz bottle. I could buy a 22 of Mirror Mirror for a few bucks more, and that's a much better barleywine IMHO. It's definitely a sipper, and I could see myself enjoying one as a nightcap, or with some Flan.

This is one barleywine that I think tastes better fresh than aged. Pours a slight cloudy coppery brown color with amber hues throughout. A soft white head that settles to a thick rocky head with ok retention (hides to the edge of the glass) and good lacing.

The nose is a strong mix of malt and esters. A more sweeter aroma with a nice complex malt aroma. Some caramel and melanodian notes with noticeable sugar notes. More of a brown sugar type of thing with hints of molasses (a very slight coiny aroma). The yeast really comes out with noticeable esters and fruity notes. Big sugar plums, figs and pineapple. Some cloves and acetaldehyde/tart apple notes. Some minor mango/tangerine but seems more like a hop aroma that mixes with a grapefruit and citrus. There almost is a slight Belgian quality to it with all the esters/yeast notes.

The taste is more on par with a barleywine. The malt comes out more with a good melanodian and kettle caramel malt flavors. Rich complexity but does finish sweet. The esters are very much there but back off a touch compared to the nose. Plums, figs, pinapple, cloves and apple notes. Still some lingering Belgian strong notes but not as distinct. Big alcohol/fusel notes that is a bit offsetting and lingers into the finish. A big deterrent for sure. Some minor metallic notes as it warms.

The body is big and is enhanced even more from the sweetness. Would like to see a bit dry. The carbonation is light but ok. Overall this is a bit odd. As a barleywine the esters are over the top but there are some nice Belg Strong notes. Some off notes from the yeast as well leaves me wanting a bit more from this beer.

Had an 05 and an 08 and didnt care too much for either one. First off it didn't pour with a very good head at all, almost non-existant, the smell was strong with alchohol but on the plus side I got some fruity notes out of it, maybe cherries. But still a very strong almost whiskey smell. It tasted very stong of alchohol as well, and very sweet with a strong after taste. It was Syrupy but thin at the same time if that makes since. the 05 had alot of sediment floating around in it. Not really my cup of tea.

12 oz. bottle poured into my new Kate the Great tulip. 2011 vintage thanks to hopsbreath.

Appearance - Dark body with a reddish hue in the light. The one-finger head just fits in the glass. Good retention and, surprisingly, some lacing. Not bad for an 11.5% barleywine.

Smell - When it's cold, it just smells like caramel malt. Really boring. A it warms, it definitely develops into some fruit flavors and a substantial hoppiness. Lots of alcohol, though. Big whiffs give a slight burn in the nose, even.

Taste - Caramel malt, some fruitiness, and definitely alcohol. Hops come through all the way. Faded grapefruit and a bitter finish. The finish is almost earthy, but the hops are a touch too bright for that characterization.

Mouthfeel - Despite the alcohol flavors in the smell and taste, it's quite smooth. It hardly even warms, which is strange. Hoppy bitter finish masks how sweet and syrupy this is. Not easy to drink, but doesn't drink like an 11.5% beer.

Overall - I really wanted to like this more, but it definitely lacks some complexity. Sweet, boozy, and a little uninteresting.